Discussion
Hi I got a new pc and was hoping to transfer my XP license from my existing (broken) PC to my new one.
Unfortunately this will not be possible as it is an OEM version and lives and dies with the machine. (i think thats what microsoft customer services chap said).
I was just wondering which version do I need to buy to enable me to transfer it to another PC should it be replaced in the future, presuming this is possible.
Thanks
Unfortunately this will not be possible as it is an OEM version and lives and dies with the machine. (i think thats what microsoft customer services chap said).
I was just wondering which version do I need to buy to enable me to transfer it to another PC should it be replaced in the future, presuming this is possible.
Thanks
Microsoft would say that, wouldn't they?
You can do a clean install of OEM Windows XP if you have an XP OEM CD, I bought XP Pro on eBay for £45 and it was fine. But you'll need to reload everything from scratch, you can't just change the Windows key (like you could with a retail version).
But you can't continue to use the same XP key on the old machine, of course.
You can do a clean install of OEM Windows XP if you have an XP OEM CD, I bought XP Pro on eBay for £45 and it was fine. But you'll need to reload everything from scratch, you can't just change the Windows key (like you could with a retail version).
But you can't continue to use the same XP key on the old machine, of course.
Raverbaby said:
Hi, I tried it with the disk I was given when I initially purchased my 1st machine ( 3+ years ago) and when it asked for the activation/license key during setup it said this key was not valid. Thats what made me phone up microsoft to see if I could transfer key to new machine.
"mechanicly" it can be done but it's against the license to do it. The problem you describe there sounds like a separate issue where the key you had either had a typo or didn't match the kind of disk you had. e.g. a home key and a pro disk, retail or OEM or vice versa.-Pete- said:
An OEM version of XP should be ok for a clean install (reformat the hard disk, start from scratch). If your motherboard failed, how else would you be able to repair your PC?
Well, not by buying an entirely new pc and illegally re using your oem copy of windows on it, if your going strictly by the book.-Pete- said:
An OEM version of XP should be ok for a clean install (reformat the hard disk, start from scratch). If your motherboard failed, how else would you be able to repair your PC?
Dodgy ground this one. If you replace the motherboard with the same specification as the one that failed then then you get to keep the OEM XP licence. If you put in a new motherboard and new faster CPU's then MS deem it to be a new PC and you need a new OS licence.It works like this:
When you first activate Windows it records this list of hardware:
Display Adapter
SCSI Adapter
IDE Adapter (effectively the motherboard)
Network Adapter (NIC) and its MAC Address
RAM Amount Range (i.e., 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc.)
Processor Type
Processor Serial Number
Hard Drive Device
Hard Drive Volume Serial Number (VSN)
CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM
It awards points for each bit, (the NIC gets most points) you can change some bits and still keep a good score but change too many or all of the bits and your score is too low and Windows will not validate.
As has been said, if you had to change your motherboard and did not score enough points to Validate, you can call Microsoft and explain.
When you first activate Windows it records this list of hardware:
Display Adapter
SCSI Adapter
IDE Adapter (effectively the motherboard)
Network Adapter (NIC) and its MAC Address
RAM Amount Range (i.e., 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc.)
Processor Type
Processor Serial Number
Hard Drive Device
Hard Drive Volume Serial Number (VSN)
CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM
It awards points for each bit, (the NIC gets most points) you can change some bits and still keep a good score but change too many or all of the bits and your score is too low and Windows will not validate.
As has been said, if you had to change your motherboard and did not score enough points to Validate, you can call Microsoft and explain.
-Pete- said:
Microsoft would say that, wouldn't they?
You can do a clean install of OEM Windows XP if you have an XP OEM CD, I bought XP Pro on eBay for £45 and it was fine. But you'll need to reload everything from scratch, you can't just change the Windows key (like you could with a retail version).
But you can't continue to use the same XP key on the old machine, of course.
They would say that because that's how the license works - just because it is possible to work around it doesn't mean it's legalYou can do a clean install of OEM Windows XP if you have an XP OEM CD, I bought XP Pro on eBay for £45 and it was fine. But you'll need to reload everything from scratch, you can't just change the Windows key (like you could with a retail version).
But you can't continue to use the same XP key on the old machine, of course.
-Pete- said:
An OEM version of XP should be ok for a clean install (reformat the hard disk, start from scratch). If your motherboard failed, how else would you be able to repair your PC?
On the same PC with replaced parts then yes, on a completely different machine then maybe not. The latter is definitely against the licensing for the OEM version, and if the OEM copy that the OP has is proprietary for a particular manufacturer it may not even install on a new machine.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff